Drinking. Driving. They're better apart. - The Vet

We don’t want to see any more people killed or hurt because of drink driving so we’re asking people to think about keeping drinking and driving apart and separate the two altogether. Why risk that you may be near the BAC level of 0.05 and that your driving may be impaired? Impairment actually starts at a BAC of 0.02.

Putting drink driving in perspective, 99.7% of drivers and riders tested aren’t over their legal BAC limit; however almost one in five (19%) drivers and riders killed in the past five years had a BAC greater than 0.05.

In the heat of a fun night out, it can be hard to keep track of how much you’ve had to drink and it’s always risky to guess what your BAC might be. The truth is, it is very difficult to weigh up all of the variables and say whether you’re under the limit. It’s not as simple as counting your drinks. You’ve got to look at all sorts of factors like how much you’ve had to eat or are you tired.

We don’t want to see any more people killed or hurt because of drink driving so we’re asking people to separate the two altogether.

Alcohol impairs decision-making even at very low levels , so the best plan is to plan how you’ll get home before you start drinking.

Drivers or riders caught drink-driving at a low level now face new alcohol interlock laws in Victoria. Anyone whose licence is cancelled for drink-driving (or riding) must fit an alcohol interlock into any vehicle they drive including their home car, work car and motorbike when they relicense after their disqualification period. The interlock is installed for a minimum of six months.

In 1989 the TAC became involved in mass media road safety advertising launching a series of television commercials showing the tragic results of drink driving. This is when that well known tagline - drink drive, bloody idiot – was born.

From the beginning, enforcement has been a key part of the deterring drink driving. The TAC has funded the purchase of booze buses for Victoria Police random breath tests, breath testers and other equipment to detect offenders.

A major aim of the TAC's drink driving advertising has been to emphasise the reality of being caught if you are over the limit and the severe penalties that follow.

More recently many people have ignored the dangers of mixing alcohol and driving and have continued to drive with lower, but still illegal, BAC. The excuse used is that driving "only a little bit over .05" is OK. This ignores the fact the risk of a crash is increased as drink drivers are more likely to speed, less likely to wear a seatbelt and less likely to take steps to prevent fatigue.

To combat this, the TAC introduced the Only a little bit over? campaign in December 2003. Here the key message is - if you drink and drive over the BAC limit, you are breaking the law and endangering the lives of innocent passengers and other road users.

In 1989, the year that the TAC commenced its campaigns, 114 drivers and riders died in road crashes with an illegal blood alcohol concentration. This figure had dropped to 42 in 2009.

Drink driving is one of the biggest killers on Victoria's roads. Almost a quarter of all fatal crashes in Victoria involve a driver or rider with an illegal Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC).

As drink driving has become more and more socially unacceptable, the TAC's drink drive campaigns are often aimed at low level drink drivers - those who think it is ok to be "just a little bit over" or at the legal limit.

Here are some common questions about drink driving limits.

What is BAC?

Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) is a measurement of the amount of alcohol in the body. BAC is measured in grams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit is 0.05. This means that a driver's body must contain less than 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. A driver's BAC is measured by a simple breath test procedure. Most people find it difficult to gauge their own blood alcohol level as there are so many factors that you need to consider.

These include:

the amount of alcohol consumed

the period of time over which alcohol is consumed

your body mass

whether or not you have eaten

your fitness levels and

the health of your liver.

Because everyone is different, some people need to drink less than the standard hourly recommendations to maintain a BAC level below the legal limit.

How does alcohol affect driving performance?

Driving is a complex task requiring decision making and total concentration. Alcohol affects a driver's ability to be totally in control of his or her actions.

BAC levels and their affects:

0.02 to 0.05 BAC - the ability to see or locate moving lights correctly is diminished, as is the ability to judge distances. The tendency to take risks is increased, and the ability to respond to several stimuli is decreased.

0.05 to 0.08 BAC - the ability to judge distances is reduced, sensitivity to red lights is impaired, reactions are slower and concentration span shorter. At 0.08 BAC drivers are five times more likely to have an accident than before they started drinking.

0.08 to 0.12 BAC - euphoria sets in, overestimation of one's abilities leads to reckless driving, peripheral vision is impaired (resulting in accidents due to hitting vehicles in passing) and perception of obstacles is impaired. Drivers are up to 10 times more likely to have an accident.